Shaving machine



y 21, 2 L. w. CLAYBOURN 1,714,212

SBAVING MACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l Patented May 21, 1929.

LESLIE W. GLAYIBOURN, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SHAVING MACHINE.

Application filed September 21, 1926. Serial No. 136,841.

My invention relates to shaving machines for shaving printing plates, including socalled electroplates, etchings, stereotypes,

and the like.

' It is the object of my invention to provide a novel arrangement of rotary cutter-head and novel shaving means acting successively on the back'of the printing plate, so arranged that the rotary cutter-head reduces the printing plate to proximate thickness followed by the action of the shaving means, to produce a completely shaved printing plate at' asingle relative travel between the rotary cutter-head and shaving means on the one part and the printing plate on the other part; and, further, to provide hold-down means coacting with the printing plate and mounted in novel manner with relation to the rotary cutter head and shaving means, pressing all portions of the printing surface of the printing plate against its support throughout'the area of the printing surface in order to-reduce the printing plate to uniform thickness throughout the area of the printing surface with the 25. aidof the combined coaction of the rotary cutter-head and the shaving means, in order to produce a printing plate in which the necessity for make-ready 'for printing with an even printing pressure is reduced to the minimum.

rotary cutter-head and the shaving means,

so as ,to control the thickness of the shaving taken off of the back of the printing plate by the shaving means;- and, further, to provide means whereby to adjust the distance between the cutting agencies and hold-down means and the support for the printing plate with- 46 out disturbing the adjusted relation between I said agencies and hold-down means.

The invention will be further readily understood from the following description and rtzlaims, and from thedrawings, in which lat- Fig. 1 is a side elevationof .my improved device.

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the same.

'ajsby fixingagear 24 to said s Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of the same, partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of my improved device.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1, partly broken away.

Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, partly broken away, showing the means for adjusting the fixed knife and the hold-down means' Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a'detail of the hold-down means, partly broken away; and Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section, partly broken away, showing amodification of the hold-down means.

I have in the present exemplification shown the travel between the rotary cutter-head and shaving means on the one part and the-support for the printing plate on the other part,

accomplished by travel of said support, al-

though it is obvious that similar results may be obtained by causing travel of the rotary cutter-head and of the shaving means with relation to a stationarily positioned printing plate, this latter arrangement'being exemplified in a companion application for patent on improvements in shaving machines, filed by me September 23, 1926', as Serial No. 137,265, and copending herewith.

The frameof the machine is exemplified at 11. A carriage 12 is arrangedto travel back and forth len thwise of the frame, being guided by gui eWays 13 between the frame and the carriage. The carriage is provided .with a supporting surface 14 and forms atable for supporting the printing plate,

shown at 15.

The printing surface 16 of the printing plate is presented toward the supporting surface of the table. of the table is exemplified as a plane surface, although it is obvious that my invention is also applicable in machines wherein the supporting face of the-table is the sector of a cylinder, as when reducing the thicknesses of curved plates.

The travel of the table is shown accom-' plished by providing the table with a pair of The supporting surface racks 21 with which pinions 22 on a crossshaft 23 mesh. The cross-shaft is journ'aled 'in suitable bearings on the frame 11. Rotation of the shaft 23 is suitabl accomplished, aft A pinion 'manually operate the table.

. justed positions.

25 on a stud-shaft 26 meshes with the gear 24. A pilot-wheel 27 is fixed to the pinion 25, to Power means may also be provided for causing travel of said table. v

A supplemental frame 28, shown as a slide, comprises sides 29 and cross-bars 30, 31 rigid therewith. The sides are guided in guideways 32 between the main frame and said sides; Adjusting screws 33 are threaded in threaded lugs 34-on said respective sides, and are journaled in bearings 35 on the respective sides of the main frame. Spiral gears 36' are fixed to the lower ends of said adjusting screws. The adjusting screws are held endwise in their bearings between said spiral gears and collars 37, fixed to said adjusting A cross shaft 38 is journaled in bearings 39 in themain frame, and has spiral gears 40 fixed thereto, which respectivelymesh withthe spiral gears 36.

A hand-wheel 41 is fixed to said cross-shaft for turning the same, and thereby adjusting the slide or supplemental frame up and down on the main frame. A clamp-bolt 42 is received through a slot 43 in the slide, at each side of the machine, and is threaded into the main frame, for clamping the slide in adjusted positions.

A rotary cutter-head 45 is provided with axles 46, journaled in bearings 47 upon the supplemental frame. These bearings may be adjusted, as by forming the same as bearing blocks, the bearing block at each end being slidable in a guideway 48 in the slide, between adjusting screws 49, 50, respectively threaded in threaded holes 51, 52, and bearing upon the bearing for adjusting the bearing and clamping the same in adjusted positions. Jamnuts 53, 54, hold the adjusting screws in ad- The cutter-head is suitably rotated, as by means of a belt'received over a suitable pulley55 fixed to one of the axles 46. The threaded hole 51"is in a strap 56 fixed to the slide 28 by bolts 57. Y

Shaving means coact with the rotary cutter and are shown as a shaving knife 61 which may be termed a fixed knife in con-' tradistinction to the rotary cutter-head, and 1s fixed in position relative to the axis of r0- tation of the rotary cutter-head. The shaving knife is shown'as an integral knife extendin crosswise of the machine, but it will be rea ily understood that the same may be made in sections.

, The shaving knife includes a cutting edge 62, in rear of which there is a bearing face 63 arranged to hear u on the rear face of the printing plate. T e bearing face is a narrow flat face which holds all portions of the printing plate adjacent to the cutting ed e downward to prevent ouging of the pnnting plate and smooths t e rear surface 6'5 ofthe printinmplate, and polishes-the same.

In rear of the caring face there is a receding the direction in which the shavings and chipsseparated from the back of the printing plate by the cutting edge 62 shall curl, for ready release and discharge of said shavings and chips. This directing face if extended would form a chord in the circle of the path of r0- tation of the cutting edges of the rotary cutter-head. Above this face there is a receding" face 67, which recedes away from the circle of the rotary path of the cutting edges of the rotary cutter-head, for permitting quite close approach between the shaving edge of the shaving means and the point of coaction between the rotary cutter-head and the printing plate.

If it is desired to sharpen the shaving knife, the grinding preferably takes place upon the bearing face 63, whereby the cutting edge, if such grinding is to a material extent, is caused to recede slightly from the" vertical plane in which the axis of rotation of the rotary cutter-head is located.

Means are provided for adjusting thev shaving knife, shown as comprising resistance screws 71, threaded in threaded'holes 72 in the cross-piece 31, and clamp-bolts 73 threaded in threaded holes 74 in the fixed knife and extending through slots 75 in said cross-piece. l/Vashers 76 are received between the heads-of said bolts and said cross-piece. The clamp-bolts may be partly relieved and the adjusting screws adjusted for causing-ap proach or recession of the cutting edge of the fixed knife with relation to the planeof the support for the printing plate, and after adjustment the clamp-bolts are drawn up forclamping the shaving knife to the crosspiece.

Backing bolts 77 may also be provided, the same being threaded in threaded holes 78 in the cross-piece 31, and secured in adjusted positions by means of jam-nuts 79. These backing bolts maybe adjusted during the adjustment of the shaving knife for determining the approach of the shaving knife toward the cylinder of the path of the cutting edges on the rotary cutterehead. v The rotary'cutter-head is shown as a cutter-head having cutter-blades 81 integral therewith, although the cutter-blades may be releasable. These cutter-blades are shown of spiral form. The cutter-blades respectively have a cutting edge 82, a clearance face 83 in rear thereof, there being a guiding face 84 at the front of the cutter-blade, which may be ground for sharpening the cutter-blade,

whereby the diameter of the cutter-blade is slightly reduced, which may if desired be compensated for by adjustment of the rotary cutter-head with relation to the plane of the support for the printing plate. The guiding face also directs the chips and shavings made by the rotary cutter-head so as to clear the cutter-head and be discharged from the machine.

The rotary cutter-head and the shaving means form cutting agencies for the rear face of the printing plate, for reducing the printing plate to the desired thickness. The thickness of the shaving produced by the shaving means is determined by the relative adjustment to elevation of the rotary cutter-head and the fixed knife.

Hold-down means are provided for the printing plate, for pressin preferably all portions of the printing surface of the printing plate toward'the supporting surface, so as preferably to bring all portions of the printing surface into parallelism with said supporting surface, and ironing out all unevenesses there may be in said printing surface, caused for instance by depressions, ex emplified at therein, so as to bring the printing lines in the whole of said printing surfaceinto parallelism with said supporting surface, so that when the cutting agencies coact with the printing plate, the body of the printing plate will be so cut as to have an even thickness throughout its printing portions. For these reasons the hold-down means act in close proximity to the cutting means, and are arranged in narrow sections closeto each other crosswise of the machine. j

The hold-down means are exemplified as spring fingers 101, there being a series of these spring fingers, shown arranged cross-' wise of the machine, in close proximity to each other, so that all portions of the printing plate may be independently acted on, while the cutters are reducing the printing'plate to thickness. These spring fingers are shown as having bevels 102 at their ends adjacent to the rotary cutter-head, so that the inner end portions of the spring fingers act with great pressure upon the printing plate close to the rotary cutter-head. The spring fingers have a slightly receding or curved under surface,

exemplified at 103, against which the advancing edge or high portions at. the rear face of the printing plateact, so as to be readily received under the spring fingers.

The spring fingers are preferably adjustable, they being shown separately adjustable and collectively adjustable in the present exemplification. Thus each of the spring fingers is received in a slot 105 in a block 106, for positioning thespring finger laterally with relation to the block and preventing lateral shifting of the end of the spring finger. The spring finger is clampedto the block by means of a bolt 107, received through the spring finger and threaded into the block. The block is provided with a rib 108 receivedin a uiding groove 109 in a cross-bar 110. The lock is provided with a slot 111, through which a bolt 112 is received, the bolt being threaded in a threaded hole 113 in the cross-bar.

An adjusting bolt 114 is threaded in a bar 115 secured to the cross-bar,-as by bolts 116, and bears against the upper end of the block 106 for adjusting the latter vertically. A j amnut 117 clamps the bolt in adjusted positions. One of these adjusting bolts and nuts is provided for each of the blocks for adjusting the springs separately.

The cross-bar is adjustable for adjustin the hold-down collectively. Adjusting bo ts 118 are threaded in a bracket 119 on the cross-piece 30, and bear upon the crossbar. Jam-n ts 120 hold the adjusting bolts in adjusted ositions. Clamp-bolts 121 are, received through slots 122 in he cross-bar 110 and are threaded in the cross-piece 30 for clamping the cross-bar 110 in adjusted positions.

I'have shown a modification of such holddown means in Fig. 8, in which similar parts are designated by similar reference numerals raised to the series 200. In this exemplification a roller 225 is journaled on a pin 226 lo.- cated in bearings 227 of the tines of a fork 228, formed on a bracket 229 extending from the spring finger 201, which is in turn secured to the block 206. There is a series of these rollers arranged close together side by side, which act similarlytothe spring fingers 101,- for ironing out the printing plate and pressing all portions of theprinting surface thereof toward and into parallelism with the supporting surface for the printing surface of the printing late, so that the printing plate will be cut of even thickness throughout its printing portions by the cutting means.

If it is desired to make the finished printing plates of difierent thicknesses it is only necessary to adjust the distance between the supporting face for the printing plate and the cutting agencies, which may be accomplished by adjustment of the cutting agencies with relation to the supporting face, or adjustment of the supporting face with relation to the cutting agencies.

my said copending application filed by me September 23, 1926, Serial No. 137,265.

The former 'exemplification of means is illustrated in the present application, in which the space between the cutting agencies and the plate supporting surface is accomplished by adjustment of the cutting agencies, which are mounted on thesupplemental frame 28, the cutting agencies and the pressure agencies being simultaneously adjusted for quickly rearranging the parts for a finished printing plate of different thickness.

My improved device is simple, provides .means whereby a printing plate of various thicknesses may be quickly reduced to even thickness by one passage thereof through the I have exemplified details of the latter in v machine, in which rotary cutting means are employed for performing the rougher cutting, and fixed shaving means are provided.

plate in which the necessity for make-ready is reduced to the minimum.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and deslre to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a printing plate shaving machine, the comb nation of a rotary cutter-head, a shaving knife; sa1d shaving knife having a ,cutting edge, a narrow bearing face in rear thereof substantially parallel with the plane of the printing plate arranged to engage the printing plate and a receding face receding adjacent to said cutting edge from the plane of the printing plate in rear of said bearing face; a support for a printing plate; said rotary cutter-head and said shaving knife operating upon the back face of the printing plate and upon the same portions in the width of the printing plate to re spectively reduce the printing plate to proximate thickness and to finished thickness in one continuous operation; and means for causing travel between said rotary cutterhead and shaving knife, and said support. 2. In a printing plate shaving machine, the combination of a slide, a rotary cutterhead journaled on said slide, shaving means on said slide at one side of said rotary cutterhead, hold-down means on said slide at the other side of said rotary cutter-head, said rotary cutter-head and said shaving knife coincidentally located crosswise of the ma chine for both operating on the same portions of the back of the printing plate, said rotary cutter-head reducing the printing plate to approximately even thickness and said shaving knife reducing the printing plate to finished even thickness in one continuous operation, a support for a printing plate, means for adjusting said slide to elevation with relation to said support, and means for causing travel between said slide and said support. 3. In a printing plate shaving machine, the combination of "a slide, a rotary cutterhead journaled on said slide, shaving means on said slide at one side of said rotary cutterhead,hold-down 'means on said slide at the.

other side of said rotary cutter-head, said rotary cutter-head and said shaving knife coincidentally located crosswise of the machine forboth operating on the same portions of the back of the printing plate, said rotary cutter-head reducing the printin plate to approximately even thickness an said shaving knife reducing the printing plate to finished even thickness in one continuous operation, a support for a printing plate, means for adjusting said slide to elevation with relation to sald support, means for causing travel between said slide and said support, and adjusting means for adjusting said rotary cutter-head, said shaving means and said hold-down means independently to elevation on said slide.

4. In a printing plate shaving machine,

the combination of a support for the printing plate, a shaving knife coacting with said support, a support for the shaving knife, means for causing travel between said supports, a resistance bolt adjustable between said second-named support and said shaving knife for adjusting the distance between the cutting edge of said shaving knife and said firstnamed support, and a clamp-bolt on said second-named support acting on said shaving knife for clamping said shaving knife to.

cutting'edge of said shaving knife and said" first-named support, a backing bolt adjustable between said second-named support and said shaving knife for adjusting-said shaving knife in its plane, the axes of rotation of said bolts being substantially parallel, and a clamp bolt on said second-named support acting on said shaving knife for clamping said shaving knife to said second-named support.

6. In a printing plate shaving machine, the combination of a support for the printing plate, a'shaving knife coacting with said support, a support for said shaving knife, means for causing travel between said supports, said shaving knife having a cutting edge extending laterally throughout a considerable portion of said supports, a series of resistance bolts adjacent said cuttin edge adjustable between said second-name support and said shaving knife for adjusting the distancebetween said cutting edge and said first-named support, and a series of clamp-bolts laterally arranged on said second-named support acting on said shaving knife for clamping said shaving'knife to said second-named support, the axes-of rotation of said bolts being substantially parallel. i

7. In a printing plate shaving machine, the combination of a support for the printing plate, a rotary cutter-head anda shaving knife coacting with said support, said said bolts being substantially partall bot operating on the same portions of the plate to finished even thickness in one continuous operation means for causing travel between said rotary cutter-head and shaving knife, and said support; means for adjusting the relative distance between said rotary cutter-head and shavin knife, and said support, said shaving kni e located at one side of said rotary cutter-head, sectional holddown means at the other side of said rotary cutter-head, and means for independently and collectively adjusting said sectional holddown means with relation to said support.

8. In a printing plate shaving machine,

the combination of a support for the printing plate, a rotary cutter-head, shaving means at one side of said rotary cutter-head,

sectional hold-down means at the other side' of said rotary cutter-head, said rotary cutter-head and said shavingv knife coincldenlocated crosswise of the machine for back of the printing plate, said rotary cutterhead reducing the printing plate to approximately even thickness and said shaving knife reducing the printing plate to finished even thickness-in one continuous operation, means independently adjusting the sections of said hold-down means, a support for the latter, means for adjusting said last-named support whereb to collectively adjust said sections of said old-down means, and means for causing travel between said supports.

9. In a printing plate shaving machine, the combination of a frame, a support therein for a printing plate, a slide, means for adjustin said slide on vsaid frame, a rotary eutteread on said slide, shaving means on y said slide at one side of said rotary cutterhead, sectional hold-down means on said slide at the other side of said rotary cutterhead, saidrotary cutter-head and said shaving knife coincidentally located crosswise of the machine for both operating on the -same portions of, the back of the printing plate, said rotary cutter-head reducing the printing plate to approximately even thickness and said shaving knife reducing the printing plate t9 finished even thickness in one continuous operation, means for adjusting the:

distance relation between said support and said aforementioned means on said slide, means for independently adjusting said aforementioned means on said slide with relation to said support, and means for causing travel between said support and said slide. I

10. In a printing plate shaving machine, the combination of a frame, a support therein for a printing plate, a slide, means for adjusting said slide on said frame, a rotary cutter-head on said slide, a shaving means on said slide at one side of said rotary cutterhead, sectional hold-down means on said slide at the other side of said rotary cutterhead, said rotary cutter-head and said shaving knife coincidentally located crosswise of the machine for both operating on the same portions of the back of the printing plate, said rotary cutter-head reducing the printing plate to approximately even thickness and said shaving knife reducing the printing plate to finished even thickness in one continuous operation, means for adjusting said slide with relation to said support, means for independently adjusting the sections of said hold-down means with relation to said sup- 

